Material: Styrofoam packaging

The Ape was designed by Piaggio in 1948, shortly after the war. It provided the model for the construction of a first truly life-size vehicle made of Styrofoam packaging. In Italy the Ape is

part of the streetscape. It can be found everywhere, standing around, backing into parking spaces, bringing items, loading items, collecting things. It rarely falls over, even if that’s something one constantly feels, and fears is going to happen. Maybe one even hopes to witness it.

When construction of the European Central Bank building began in Frankfurt, it was the largest and most exciting building site in town: a huge terrain set in motion, with hills of sand, gravel, earth and spoil heaped up as high as a house. There was a certain hint of the archeological about it, as though the workers were looking for something huge that had been buried very deep. Taking part (secretly) in this search, as a player, as a child in the grown-ups’ sand pit called for the appropriate camouflage. An Ape made of Styrofoam packaging fitted the bill. Two people were just about able to carry it across the construction site. And you could completely separate the loading area from the driver's cabin. This was necessary when it came to dragging the vehicleup the sliding sand dunes without being buried under a mixture of sand and Styrofoam. But this was risky and anyway forbidden. Nevertheless, it was possible for the Ape to take up its work between heaven and earth –to stand up to its competitors made of steel. Yet I wanted it to live up to its virtuous name and show full commitment. To complete at least once all the tasks and work steps that need to be learned during the training before specialization begins.

My Ape coped with all of this. It was downright indestructible at first, then eventually everything became too much for it, it began to disintegrate more and more. The strain of ever new actions gradually consumed its polyurethane foam seams and eroded its filigree polystyrene structures, until it wasfinally forced into retirement, later rumbling into the polystyrene shredder, towards a new purpose. It was again expanded to make Styrofoam packaging. With every new appliance –encased in Styrofoam –I think that its packaging materials could be the reincarnation of my Ape. You just unwrapped a new monitor? Have a good look at the packaging and prick your ears –you might just hear something working inside it.